DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The jackpot for the Mega Millions lottery game has climbed to $450 million, just hours before the drawing. The top prize was raised ahead of the drawing Friday night. Lottery officials also increased the jackpot of Powerball, the other national lottery game, to $570 million. That drawing will be Saturday night. The jackpots refer to the annuity options for both games, in which payments are made over 29 years. Most winners opt for cash options, which would be $281 million for Mega Millions and $358.5 million for Powerball.

The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is one in 302.5 million. Powerball has odds of one in 292.2 million. Both games are played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico also participates in Powerball.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, today (Friday), released a report detailing numerous arrests occurred this first week of January. Early Thursday morning, 25-year old Ashly Nicole Duncan, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension, and 42-year old Auscencio Rivera, of Omaha, was arrested for OWI/1st offense, and interference with official acts. Thursday afternoon, 27-year old Cory David Cleveland, of Malvern, was arrested for Driving While Revoked and No SR-22 on file. And, Thursday night, 57-year old Russell Paul Barton, of Omaha, was arrested for Interference with Officials Acts.

Early Wednesday morning, 22-year old Dakota John Allen, of Hastings, was arrested in Mills County for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possessing Contraband, Possession of Paraphernalia, Burglary in the 3rd and Theft in the 2nd, degrees, as well as Driving Under Suspension. And, 22-year old Morgan Rae Green, of Glenwood, was arrested for Dominion/Control of a firearm or offensive weapon by a felon. Wednesday afternoon, 34-year old Shawn Lee Richter, and 19-year old Morgan Raye Wooton, both of Glenwood, were arrested on separate warrants for probation violation.

Wednesday night, 46-year old Ann Kristine Harding, of Red Oak, was arrested in Mills County for Possession of a Prescription Drug (without a prescription), and on a Pottawattamie County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Theft in the 3rd degree.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri state trooper who was fired after he was convicted of a misdemeanor for the drowning death of a handcuffed Iowa man is suing to get his job back. KQFX-TV reports that Anthony Piercy filed a petition last week for judicial review in Missouri’s Cole County. The lawsuit claims Missouri State Highway Patrol Col. Sandra Karsten overstepped her authority in firing Piercy.

Piercy pulled 20-year-old Brandon Ellingson over on the Lake of the Ozarks for suspicion of boating while intoxicated in May 2014. Piercy’s was taking Ellingson for a breath test when the Arizona State University student tumbled into the water wearing an improperly secured life vest and drowned. Ellingson was from the Des Moines suburb of Clive.

Patrol Lt. Paul Reinsch said he couldn’t comment on personnel issues.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha teen has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for his role in the gun-play death of another man last year. Omaha television station WOWT reports that 18-year-old Montana Garbez was sentenced Friday to six to 12 years for manslaughter for the April death of 20-year-old Scott Evans, of Council Bluffs. Garbez pleaded guilty to the charge in September. In exchange, a felony weapons count was dropped.

Police found Evans dead inside a home in north Omaha home after being called to the house for a report of a shooting. Prosecutors say Garbez and another man appeared to have been using a gun in a game similar to Russian roulette, and Evans was shot in the head. Prosecutors say Garbez fired the deadly shot.

Glenwood Police arrested a man for Domestic Abuse Assault this (Friday) morning. Officials say 19-year old Dylan Barrett, of Glenwood, was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail, pending an appearance before a magistrate judge.

A traffic stop this morning near Prescott, in Adams County, resulted in the arrest of a Montgomery County woman. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies conducted the traffic stop a little after 6-a.m. near Highway 34 and Redwood Avenue. Upon further investigation, the driver, Summer Brooke French, of Red Oak, was arrested for OWI/refusal, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Authorities say French was found to be in the possession of meth and marijuana pipes.

Officials with the Woodbine Fire Department report a commercial structure fire occurred early this (Friday) morning, in the industrial park. The fire at RDC Truck repair was reported a little after 2-a.m., by a person calling 9-1-1.. When first firefighting units arrived on the scene, they encountered a steel building with heavy fire all through the interior. Crews tapped a hydrant and went to work pulling nearly 3000 feet of various size hose lines. The decision was made by the commanding officers on scene to fight a defensive fire because of the building being structurally unsafe to enter and knowledge of various combustible materials that were stored and used inside.

Authorities say because of the cold and labor intensive work to contain the blaze, mutual aid was requested from other departments. Dunlap, Logan, Missouri Valley, Magnolia and Mondamin all assisted on the scene along with City of Woodbine employees. No further details were immediately available.

Officials with the Woodbine Fire Dept. asked viewers of their social media page to “Please keep the owner and employees that worked in the business in your thoughts and prayers since they now have no place to work.”

(Pictures taken by Woodbine EMS crews that were standing by for rehab or possible injuries).

Iowa farmers are being warned that barn fires are much more likely during prolonged cold spells. Jay Harmon, a swine housing specialist and an ag engineer at the Iowa State University Extension, says some fires occur after barns have been left sitting empty for a while. “We tend to shut the ventilation off because it costs something to heat and that’s when some of the fires have occurred because methane can build up in the barn,” Harmon says. “You get ready for the next group of pigs to come in, you flip the switch on the heater or you raise the temperature on that unvented heater, the flame hits the methane and it can cause a fire.”

Harmon says some fire prevention steps should be taken ahead of time. “Making sure the furnaces are operating properly would be one thing,” Harmon says. “Just normal practices to look for frayed wires or other things that could be an issue, but probably just some of the practices would be important, too.”  Harmon says it’s also critical to ensure safety exits in the barn are accessible. “Making sure you have emergency exits in the barn that are not blocked is important,” Harmon says. “Some of our facilities are quite large and if you’re at the far end and there’s no way out, that’s not a good situation. Always make sure and think of escape routes in case there is a fire.”

Harmon says it’s also a good idea to have fire extinguishers available as well as quick access to water. Also, program the number of the local fire department into your phone.

(Radio Iowa)